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Riverside, California Places Permanent Ban On Dispensaries and Cultivation

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]S[/dropcap]everal months after the legalization of cannabis in Riverside, California went into effect, city officials have finally made a decision regarding allowing commercial cannabis industries within city limits.

After placing a temporary moratorium on commercial cannabis land use 10 months ago, Riverside City Council voted against dispensaries, commercial and outdoor cultivation permanently on July 10. Now, the only cannabis-related business that Riverside will allow within city limits is cannabis testing.

Citizens will still be able to consume cannabis and grow up to six plants indoors under Proposition 64. Previously, the city had allowed four cannabis plants outside and four more inside for personal use. The city had extended its moratorium on allowing outdoor cultivation and commercial cannabis land use last October, wanting more time to allow the city to craft a ‘thoughtful, comprehensive policy’ in response to the state’s legalization of cannabis. It was noted that voters in six of the seven wards voted in favor of the state law.

The permanent ban, which was debated on for two hours, is set to go into effect August 24 before the current moratorium ends.

“The cost of doing this is not worth the soul of Riverside,” said Riverside City Councilman Chuck Conder. “If they want to go somewhere else to do it, then go.” He felt allowing residents to get medical cannabis from other cities would limit the crime he felt was associated with cannabis.

“We heard from many of our businesses about the problems they had in the strip centers next to them (when dispensaries opened),” said Cindy Roth, president and CEO of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce, who supported the ban. “Fights breaking out, paraphernalia left out, places where people thought there was a dispensary broken into.”

The decision came after lawmakers held several workshops, including a meeting in March where council members heard a report from Denver law enforcement and a delegation of Riverside officials who traveled to Denver to study the effects on the city.  Three councilmen voted against the ban, instead wanting another moratorium while they explored the effects of legalization in nearby cities. In the meeting on Tuesday, several councilmembers said that the March presentation about Denver’s legalization had been a one-sided misrepresentation and used as a scare tactic.

There were also complaints from planners, who had to vote without being given the same information the councilmembers were, and others pointed out Denver had no call from residents to undo cannabis legalization. For the time being, not a lot of cannabis activity will be seen in Riverside.

 

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